Kendrapara: In a significant development in the Pattamundai girl death case, police have arrested the prime accused, Pramod Behera, a resident of Teroi village under Bilikana panchayat in Kendrapara district.

Police reportedly found around 50 obscene videos on his mobile phone. He was initially detained by the police from Chennai and brought to Kendrapara for interrogation.

Behera has been arrested under Sections 296, 75, 78 and 108 of the BNS and Sections 66-E and 67-A of the IT Act.

According to Kendrapara SP, Pramod had spoken to the girl shortly before the incident. On July 17, he sent an obscene video of the girl to her father and also forwarded it to two other individuals with the intention of making it viral.

The case pertains to the death of a 20-year-old final-year Plus-III student of Pattamundai College in Kendrapara. On August 6, she allegedly poured kerosene over herself and set herself ablaze. She later succumbed to severe burn injuries.

According to the girl’s father, she had been under immense mental stress due to continuous blackmail by the accused, who had been threatening to leak her private photos and videos. The family had alleged that the accused was exploiting her for months.

Acting on the complaint, the police launched a manhunt and managed to trace Behera to Chennai.